NEW DELHI: Karnataka has become the first state in India to grant women employees 12 menstrual leaves annually, applicable across both government and private sectors.The state govt announced that women working in state government offices, garment factories, multinational companies, IT firms, and other private-sector organisations will now be entitled to one paid menstrual leave per month. Officials stated that the move aims to safeguard the health and well-being of women employees while fostering a supportive and inclusive workplace.Speaking to reporters, Karnataka minister Santosh Lad said, “We have approved menstrual leaves for women. It is the most progressive new law that we have brought. Women can take as many as 12 sanctioned leaves in a year, once a month or all at once, whatever they choose as per their menstrual cycle.”“We are not sure how it has been implemented in other states, but in Karnataka we are committed to implementation. It will be applicable across all sectors – both government and private,” the labour minister added.“It is a feather in the cap of a progressive government which thinks for the welfare of women and considers the roles she has to play.” On the topic of a possible cabinet reshuffle, Lad added, “It will always be there. I don’t know when it is going to happen but we have left it on the party high command, the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister.”Kerala has rolled out a policy granting female trainees at Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) two days of menstrual leave. In contrast, Bihar and Odisha offer a 12-day annual menstrual leave, but is limited to state government employees.
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